Adam S. Posen, deputy director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, argued that, contrary to popular belief, “there hasn’t been that much deregulation in the last few decades.” Posen believed the crisis has exposed the flaws of ratings agencies, and he suggested doing away with them altogether (in place of relying on credit rating agencies, he advocates a policy of buyer beware). Posen went on to criticize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying the collapse of the government-sponsored entities should have been no surprise. “If something is half public and half private, it will cheat and it will fail.”

Vincent Geloso holds a master’s degree in economic history from the London School of Economics, with a focus on business cycles, international development, labor markets in preindustrial Europe and the new institutional economics. His research work examined the economic history of the province of Quebec from 1920 to 1960. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the Université de Montréal. He has also studied in the United States at the Washington Centre for Academic Seminars and Internships. Mr. Geloso has been an intern for the Prime Minister’s cabinet in Ottawa and for the National Post. He has also been the recipient of a fellowship from the Institute for Humane Studies and an international mobility bursary from the Ministère des Relations internationales du Québec. Currently, he is an economist at the Montreal Economic Institute.